The Princess and the Monk
by WuxSensei
Summary: AU! One decision would forever intertwine Aang and Azula's destiny. How does he cope with tragedy when he needs to save the world? Rated for Violence and Themes.
1. Decisions

To anyone reading. Second story I'm going to work on and I hope anyone who reads enjoys it. AU where one decision changed the course of destiny. How? Read and find out. :)

* * *

Fire Lord Ozai paced before his son who knelt at the floor to him. Finally his son had atoned for his foolishness and reclaimed his rightful spot by his side. "I am proud of you prince Zuko. I am proud because you and your sister conquered Ba Sing Se. I am proud because when your loyalty was tested by your treacherous uncle, you did the right thing and captured the traitor. And I am proudest of all of your most legendary accomplishment. You slayed the Avatar."

Zuko's eyes widened in surprise from the last statement. The Avatar escaped, he knew that. His father was proud of his actions but he wasn't. In all honesty what he did made him sick to his stomach. With time he hoped he could eventually live with it; but killing the Avatar wasn't something to feel guilty for because he didn't do it.

"What did you hear?" Zuko asked slightly alarmed.

Ozai looked at his son slightly confused by the panic in his voice. "Azula told me everything. She said she was amazed and impressed with your power and ferocity at the moment of truth."

Zuko was speechless. His father thought that he had redeemed himself in battle and that was why he was back. Just another lie his sister told, for what reason he did not know. However, he knew was the Avatar resurfaced from hiding his father would be enraged for the lie. Even if it was not one of his own.

Zuko contemplated what to do. If he just went with it he would get to stay home for a while. Yet if he told the truth, his father might exile him again until he actually killed the Avatar. Both were bad choices but one offered the slight hope of return. He knew if he lied his father would not forgive him. At that moment he made a decision that would alter the course of history more than he would ever know.

"Father…"

Ozai looked at his son with raised brows waiting to hear what he had to say.

"Azula lied… I didn't kill him."

Ozai stared at his son with rage. Each second that passed seemed like eons for each would not break the silence; Zuko out of fear and his father from the sheer anger bubbling beneath the surface, ready to explode at any second.

Finally after what seemed like eternity, his father spoke.

"You did not kill him?" Ozai said rather coldly.

Zuko's head slumped in shame. "No. Azula lied… I injured him but his water bender girlfriend saved him. I know she did…"

Ozai sat down and rubbed his beard a few moments before calling to a guard.

"Bring my daughter here. Now."

The guard bowed to him before racing off out of the throne room. A few minutes passed before Azula walked into the room with the guard in tow. The usual smirk she wore turned to a frown as she looked at her brother whose head was bowed in shame and her father who looked like he was going to destroy something at a moment's notice.

"Father, what seems to be the problem?"

Her father blinked slowly before completely focusing his attention on her. The normal rage in his eyes she had grown used to was but a candle light compared to the inferno she stared into at the moment. For the first time in her life, she actually felt a sense of fear.

"F-father?" Azula asked hesitantly.

Two tendrils of smoke billowed from his nose before he responded.

"Why do you shame our family?" A visible bead of sweat ran down her face before he continued. "You told me Zuko had slayed the Avatar."

Azula's eyes bulged as she realized the situation she was in. The whole thing had been to set Zuko up if the Avatar did somehow survive. What she had not counted on was her brother confessing the truth to their father. All she could do was breathe trying to calm herself to think of a way out of the situation she was in. Ozai wasn't going to let that happen.

"You lied to me to set up your brother. You lied to me about the Avatar's death. His survival puts my whole plan in jeopardy!"

Azula tried to defend herself. "But father, I didn't know."

Ozai cut her off. "Enough. You will not manipulate me as you do to everyone else, my daughter. I will not be made a fool of. You and your brother will set out and kill the Avatar. Kill his waterbender healer as well."

Azula and Zuko locked eyes for a moment as the animosity between the two grew. Whatever they thought of each other didn't matter anymore. If they wanted back in the good graces of their father, the Fire Lord, then they would have to work together.

Still, Azula tried to worm her way out of it. "Father, you surely don't mean to send me away like you did Zuko? I mean I did just capture the capital of the Earth Kingdom."

Ozai stood up enraged from his daughter's attempt to manipulate him. "Azula! Silence!" She backed away in fear as he continued. "The only reason I'm not banishing the two of you is for that very reason. I will not repeat myself. You two will take a few ships and kill the Avatar. Now leave before I change my mind and do something far more sever!"

Azula and Zuko both bowed before scurrying out of the room. Two guards outside escorted them each to their chambers to pack what they would need. Both grabbed their armor and a few sets of clothes. There wasn't much more they needed. After they prepared they were escorted to a ship and they boarded.

The captain of the ship didn't waste time and set off almost immediately with four more ships in tow. Azula just stared at the shoreline as they sailed away into the ocean. After a few hours had passed she looked at Zuko and commented, "When he wants you gone, he does not waste time, does he brother?"

Zuko turned and nodded. "This is the second time he's banished me. This time I can blame you."

Azula almost shot a lightning bolt at him for the comment. _How dare he speak to me like that! It's his fault we're both her. I could be home but instead I'm on a ship with this fool!_

Azula glared daggers at her brother before responding. "The only one to blame here is you, brother. If you could have remained quiet and stuffed your honor, we wouldn't be in this mess."

Zuko shook his head in disappointment at his sister. Why she despised him so, he didn't know. He had never done anything to her to deserve such spite and yet she was always trying to foil his life. "Azula, what did I do to you? Why can't you accept me as your brother?"

Azula snarled as she glared at him. "Accept you? Like how our mother accepted me? You were always her favorite Zuzu. She wanted nothing to do with me and yet she treated you like her only child. I finally had a parent all to myself after you left and now you come back and get us both kicked out. I didn't do anything to you, you did this to us!"

As she finished she stormed off to go below deck and left Zuko alone. Before disappearing below the deck she yelled out, "And he didn't even let me bring Mai and Ty Lee!"

He just shook his head as he leaned over the side of the ship, staring into the horizon. _I didn't choose this life. I tried making the right choices… Even when they weren't clear. I failed uncle when I turned on them, but it's too late for me now. All I can do is try to finish what I started and reclaim my right to come home. I'm sorry uncle…  
_

* * *

A few days later

Zuko stood on the deck of the ship watching the sea while his sister practice her firebending behind him. A small dot appeared in the sky and he watched it come closer to the ship. Becoming larger the closer it got.

A few minutes passed until he could make out what it was. "It's a messenger hawk." Zuko stated aloud. Azula quit her training to watch as it neared and landed on the ship. The captain rushed over and grabbed the message off of its back.

Azula snatched it out of his hands before he could open it to read it herself. If she was stuck on the ship until they got the Avatar, she was going to let them know who was in charge. A smirked crossed her face as she unrolled and read it.

Zuko walked over with his arms crossed, waiting to hear what it said. "Well?" he asked impatiently.

Azula laughed as she handed it to the captain before replying. "The Avatar was spotted at a hot springs north of us."

The captain read the message and nodded in agreement. "It's true. Should only take several hours for us to reach that location. We should reach there an hour or two after sunset."

Azula began to walk back to her cabin to prepare. At least she wasn't going to be gone for years like her brother. Only a few days and then she would be back in the good graces of her father. As she descended below deck she shouted, "Have everyone prepare. Every soldier on these ships is going in after them."

Zuko sighed before walking back over to the side of the ship. All he could do was wait for the battle he knew would be coming after their last fight. He just hoped he could finish it for good that time. Even if Azula hated him, he knew her urge would outweigh her feelings towards him.

* * *

Several hours later

Dusk had passed hours before as Aang and his friends slept. The day had been fun, something he had needed after everything that had happened in the Earth Kingdom. A day to be carefree and forget about the problems of the world, but it would not last.

Toph awoke as she sensed footsteps drawing near. Knowing the danger she awoke everyone. "Guys, you're all going to think I'm crazy, but it feels like a small army is coming."

Aang looked her Toph through hazy eyes before noticing the moonlight reflecting into his eyes. Rubbing his eyes he looked to see what it was only to see it was reflecting off of the gold on Azula's armor. Yelping he jumped up, much to the surprise of everyone.

The group got ready to fight as Zuko stepped next to his sister. Katara spotted him and began to shout. "You traitor! I believed you and then you almost killed Aang! Come back to finish the job?"

Zuko looked down in shame, knowing she was right. What he did was dishonorable, but what was worse? Turning sides to help the one person he had set out to destroy to redeem his honor? Or stay the course and kill him? He didn't know, but it was too late to turn back.

Zuko actually replied sincerely. "What is done is done. I can't take it back, and I'm sorry. But we have to finish this. One way or the other."

Azula scoffed at her brother. "Zuzu. Don't apologize to them. We were sent to kill them, or are you going to hesitate now when your honor is at hand and disappoint father?"

Zuko nodded grudgingly. The inner turmoil of his decisions was swirling inside and the only way he thought he could fix it was by finishing what he had set out to do all those years ago; whether it was right or wrong. He had already made his choice and it was time to follow through.

As if on cue firebenders came from seemingly everywhere and formed a ring around the perimeter of the area to surround Aang and his friends. Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph backed into each other taken back by how many soldiers that had been brought to stop them.

As everyone prepared to bend, Toph voiced all their thoughts. "There's a lot of them… I don't think we can take them all."

Azula laughed as she overheard her statement. "We brought five ships worth of troops. Surrender and we can make your deaths quick."

The only reply she got was a cold stare from Aang as he readied himself to fight the seemingly impossible battle. They could try to escape but with the number of Fire Nation soldiers surrounding them, he didn't like the odds.

Each second that passed became more agonizing as each side waited for the other to make the first move. The situation became more desperate as more Fire Nation soldiers poured into the area. Aang scanned the area looking for some kind of advantage without success.

In a hopeful yet serious tone Aang conveyed his thoughts to his friends. "Guys, we have to be careful. We'll have to hold them off until there's an opening to escape."

Each one nodded, determined to get out of the situation alive. Never before had they been faced with such difficult odds. Odds that made each of them afraid that it might be their last stand. Fortunately their fear did not cripple or hinder them, but fueled and pushed them to fight back. They knew it would take everything they had.

Aang and Katara looked into each other's eyes briefly. Each one had the burning desire to protect one another. Although it was a brief look, it was all they needed to find the extra strength within themselves to protect one another.

Zuko raised his hand high in the air with all eyes on him. Turning his head he scanned everyone that was there seeing they were waiting for the order. Taking a deep breath, he then exhaled as he brought his hand down towards the Avatar and his friends.

Immediately soldiers began shooting balls of fire towards the group while others began charging towards them with spears as Azula and Zuko stood and watched. They were confident that the Avatar and his group of friend could repel the troops for a while. Once there was an opening they would strike as well.

Katara used the nearby pool of water and brought it up as a shield to block the fireballs. Toph began to earthbend and fling rocks towards the soldiers surrounding them. Aang and Sokka began to fight off the soldiers that came near. Aang flung them back with powerful air blasts while Sokka smashed his club into the sides of soldier's helmets.

Azula watched disinterested with their effort. It was futile and eventually they would slip. If their soldiers didn't capitalize on a mistake, she would. Another factor boosting her confidence was that they had brought three tundra tanks they left back at the ships to prepare. Any moment they could finally come to the battle which she knew would be the end for the Avatar and his little friends.

She looked to her brother with a sadistic grin only to see his face was full of remorse and dejection. It greatly annoyed her to see he brother to be distraught about their mission. All they had to do was kill the Avatar and they could return home. Why he looked like a lifeless shell was beyond her. As long as it didn't hinder her from completing the task, then she didn't care.

"Zuzu, don't look so down. Soon the Avatar will be dead and we can return home. Is that not what you want?"

Zuko looked at her with serious eyes before responding. "Uncle will be disappointed with me when he finds out."

Azula waved him off as she scoffed because of the old man. "Why do you care about that traitor's opinion of you? Do you think of yourself so low that you care about him? He chose that prison cell he is in. If anything you should be disappointed in his actions. Without him, perhaps you would have killed the Avatar long ago."

Zuko turned from her to focus his attention on the battle below. In a defeated yet accepting tone he replied, "Maybe you're right…"

Azula laughed before responding, "Off course I am right little brother. Now present yourself like the prince you are. You are more dignified than that." Zuko just nodded in reply much to Azula's delight. Even now she could manipulate him and it pleased her greatly.

Katara wasn't having a joyous time as much as Azula. Between trying to block the fire balls hurling towards them she also had to keep blocking them from hitting Appa. Every time Appa tried to fly off the soldiers would concentrate their blasts on him forcing him back to the ground.

Aang was evading and hurling back the troops with ease but it wasn't really all that helpful. Each time they landed they would just get back up and charge forward again. Sokka was doing some damage with his club, but none of his strikes were fatal. He managed to knock a few of the soldiers unconscious but the rest were just a little dinged up.

Toph was having a hard time as well because every fire blast that landed near her would bake the ground. When she would move or dodge she kept scalding her feet on the hot crust. There were just too many for her and the rest to stop. Though blind she saw they needed to get out of there before it was too late. They were just prolonging the inevitable.

Aang attempted to enter the Avatar State. However all he felt was pain in his back where Azula struck him with lightning in Ba Sing Se. He didn't think it would work but he had to try. He saw they were losing and wasn't sure how much longer he could keep it up. If he tried to take the soldiers out for good then maybe they had a chance but he couldn't do that.

Sokka sidestepped a soldier, bashing him in his side forcing the soldier to collapse. A grin crossed his face momentarily before turning to pain as a spear sliced his arm. Trying to recover he tried to hit the soldier who got him only to have his club knocked out of his hand by another spear from another soldier.

Before one of the soldiers could pierce him he rolled over to his club and spun throwing his boomerang at the soldiers. It narrowly missed them as it soared through the air and hit Azula in her forehead.

Stumbling back she grabbed her head more annoyed than hurt. Opening her eyes she watched as the boomerang flew back towards the water tribe male. A low growl erupted from her throat as she clenched her fists, sprouting a bit of fire doing so.

"It's time Zuko."

He looked at her slightly surprised by the urgency in her tone. "I thought you wanted to wait for the tanks?"

Azula scowled at him before answering his question. "We'll finish this quicker. They'll reinforce us if anything." She slid down the embankment with rage in her eyes burning brighter than the fire sprouting from her hands.

Zuko just shrugged as he leaped down to join her. Figured he might as well join her so they could end it quickly. If he didn't and she killed the Avatar, he was sure she would take all of the credit when they returned home.

Sokka backed up to Katara as the soldiers attacking them began to back up and form another ring around them. Aang and Toph followed suit and joined them. The fire benders on the outside perimeter stopped hurling fire at them momentarily.

Toph kept her feet planted and became nervous as a vibration traveled to her feet up her legs. Nervously she spoke aloud. "Guys, I can feel something rolling towards us." A few moments passed before she finished, "There's three metal things rolling this way."

Katara used the brief respite to examine Sokka's wound. "This is bad Sokka. You won't be able to use your arm until I heal this."

Sokka held his club in his other hand as he straightened himself out. "We got other things to worry about now. Those are probably their tundra tanks rolling our way." He took a moment to examine the situation. _They surrounded us down here with armed soldiers. Even if we break through the line the soldiers on the rim of this swimming hole will rain fire on us. And they got tanks on the way…_

Usually Sokka could think of some way out of any situation. Aang looked at Sokka and asked what everyone was thinking. "Can you think of a way out of this Sokka?" Aang watched as Sokka glanced at him and a visible bead of sweat rolled down his head. That was the only answer he needed.

Azula and Zuko walked through the line the soldiers made to face the Avatar. Azula gave her trademarked grin as she motioned to all of the Fire Nation soldiers. In an arrogant tone she began to speak, "You know you cannot win. But… I am merciful. Surrender, Avatar, and you and your friends will be permitted to live."

Aang looked at his friends then back at Azula. "I surrender and they can go?"

Katara tried to interject, "Aang, you can't!"

Azula laughed. "Well, I wouldn't say that. You'll all still die. We'll just take you all to the Fire Lord so he can watch the executions himself."

Aang breathed in to calm and ready himself for the battle. Azula on the other hand just shrugged. "Guess that's a no then. Shall we start?" Instantly she moved her hand and shot a lightning bolt towards Aang.

Seeing the electricity hurling towards him, he quickly earthbended a wall to shield himself. As the lightning bolt impacted he felt relief for a split second only to see Zuko appear in his peripheral vision sliding past his makeshift shield.

Before Zuko could capitalize Katara used a tendril of water to grab his leg and throw him backwards. Aang looked back and gave her a thankful smile which she just nodded to. "Aang, I'll take him."

Aang looked at her surprised and slightly worried. "Katara, are you sure?"

Katara stepped forward towards Zuko with a look of intensity that Aang had never seen before. In a tone that matched her expression she replied, "He betrayed my trust back in Bae Sing Se. Because of him you almost died."

Aang glanced over at Zuko who was getting back up and then back to her. "Alright, Katara… Be careful."

Katara looked back at Aang and gave him a small smile. "I will. Azula is more dangerous. She's more unpredictable. Promise me if you get a chance to escape you will. Even if you have to leave me."

Aang's eye's widened in shock. "I wouldn't abandon you!"

Katara stared at him like a mother scolding a child. "Aang… You're the Avatar. You need to stop the Fire Lord."

Aang stopped her from continuing. "If I can't protect my friends then how can I stop him? I'm not leaving you." He let his rock wall recede back into the earth to see Azula staring at him impatiently. "Alright, I'll take her."

Azula got into her fighting stance readying herself to finish the fight. "Good, you're ready to fight. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to make it too easy for me." As she finished she leaped and kicked out a flame toward Aang.

He blew it away it a gust of air only to leap out of the way from a stream of lightning. Each one of his moments was to dodge and avoid her attacks. Aang couldn't help reverting to his airbending style. Avoid and defend was what he was used too. Even when he earthbended he used it mostly for defense.

Azula wasn't having it. Every blast of fire and streak of lightning she assaulted him with and he dodge only infuriated her further. "You can't dodge forever, Avatar!"

He knew she was right. Each blast got closer to actually getting him. To add to the stress, he looked over to see the soldiers were trying to take out Sokka and Toph. Thankfully they were holding them off but he could see they were struggling.

Toph was trying to block the blasts of fire the other soldiers were hurling at them. Sokka was struggling with one arm to hold back the advancing troops with Toph's help where he couldn't defend himself. Things went from bad to worse and Aang knew it would end soon. He just hoped it would end well.

Katara was the opposite of Aang. Her duel with Zuko, she was the aggressor. Zuko would fire a few blasts of fire at her only to try to dodge as she used tendrils of water to try to whip him. Seeing it wasn't working she tried to switch tactics and turned her water to ice and began to shoot out razor sharp discs at Zuko. At least Aang didn't have to worry about her.

Each minute that passed seemed like hours as it began to take a toll on everyone. Everyone was drenched in sweat from exertion. Their moves began to become sloppy as the battle raged on. Azula looked up and smiled as she saw the three tanks appear on the edge of the swimming hole.

"It seems your time is almost up, Avatar." She signaled to the tanks to begin their advance. Each death machine rolled down towards Sokka and Toph. Azula just smiled knowing that those two nuisances would soon no longer be a problem.

Toph immediately sprung to action and leaped towards one of the tanks and used her metalbending to tear it in two, causing the crew to fall out. The other two tanks seized on the opportunity and began to shoot blasts of fire at her along with the soldiers surrounding the swimming hole.

She looked up right as a fireball was about to impact her. It was too late to move or block it and she knew it was the end. Toph couldn't see it but she felt the heat radiating off of the massive ball of fire as it inched closer to her face.

Sokka moved quickly and tackled her to the ground, before rolling with her to dodge another blast. Katara saw all the soldiers and the remaining two tanks hurling fire towards her brother and Toph. She left Zuko and propelled herself with a wave of water over to them.

Using the water, she created more tendrils to bat away at the flames to protect them. Toph got back up and attacked another tank, ripping it in two as well, before retreating back to Katara and Sokka with a make shift shield of metal with her.

Aang continued to dodge Azula's relentless attacks as he glanced and saw Zuko staring at him. That same stare he had seen so many times through his numerous escapes from the banished prince. Except there was something different in his eyes. Like the light behind them was gone and he was now empty.

Zuko stared at Aang a few moments before looking back at Katara who was busy swatting away blasts of fire. With one last glance at Aang he ran towards Katara set on taking her out while she was preoccupied. _There will be no redeeming myself after this…_

Aang could only watch as Zuko sent a massive blast of fire towards Katara, striking her in her back. Immediately she let out a blood curdling scream as she fell along with her tendrils of water. She tried to stand back up but Zuko hit her with another blast, burning her further.

A new feeling came to Aang that he never experienced before. A sense of rage and what he thought was hatred swelled up inside him. The Avatar State tried to activate but again all he felt was pain from where Azula had injured him before.

Azula tried to use the moment he looked away from her to strike him with a downward kick of fire. He dodged it in time and sent a blast of wind at her that she had to raise her hand to try to block. The wind cut into her hand leaving a deep gash as it began to pour out blood.

"Finally using the airbending to injure? About time. Did it take your girlfriend getting hurt to do that?"

Aang barely glanced at Azula as he ran over to Katara. The one glance though sent a sick shiver up her spine. His eyes said everything he couldn't say at the moment. Though she needed to kill him, the amount of pain, sorrow, and rage was shining through his eyes. Azula had never seen anything like that and it actually stunned her for a moment.

Zuko looked to see Aang running straight towards him before raising his arms to block a gust of air that Aang shot out at him. What he didn't expect was the sheer power behind it as it launched him back into the wall surrounding the watering hole. Yet, Aang did not stop. He kept up the attack as it began to actually hurt Zuko.

Zuko kept his arms raised as the torrent of air bombarded him, leaving cuts all along his body. The pressure from the attack felt like it was crushing his body the longer it went on. Only when Azula tried to attack Aang again from behind did the assault stop. Zuko fell to a knee as he saw cuts with blood seeping out all over the front of his body.

Azula tried to hit Aang again but he countered it by pulling a small slab of earth behind her and sending a gust of air her way, knocking her down over the slab. She was momentarily dazed as she hit her head on the ground only to see Toph use her earthbending to propel Azula over to her.

Before Azula could react, Toph used her makeshift metal shield and split it in two. Each one she then bended and used them to clasp Azula's arms and legs. The metal went from her hands up to her forearm, pinning them behind her back like a pair of cuffs. The other piece of metal covered her feet up to her calf.

Toph then pushed Azula onto her knees as Sokka held his club prepared to strike her. Azula was dumbfounded as she tried to struggle against her bonds. She was trapped. They had actually stopped and immobilized her. Flabbergasted was an understatement.

Aang meanwhile, tried to attend to Katara. As he approached her she unsteadily stood back up. Aang stopped as he stared at her back. He could see her entire back had been burned. All of the skin had charred and was flaking off. If it had been anyone else he would have probably thrown up from the sight and the smell, but it was Katara.

She turned and saw the tears in his eyes were more than her own from the pain. Before he could say anything, she spoke first. "Get everyone on Appa."

Aang tried to protest. "What about you?"

Katara though saw they had a chance to flee, and she was going to make sure they took it. "Aang, get everyone on Appa now. Including Azula. They'll let you go if you take her prisoner. They won't hurt the princess."

Toph overheard and understood exactly what she was saying. Using her earthbending she threw Sokka, Azula, and herself on top of Appa. Aang wasn't getting what Katara was saying though.

"Okay they're on. So let's go."

Katara glanced back before slowing moving backwards towards them. "Alright, Aang. Time to get out of here."

Zuko stood up and walked towards them. Not too near so they could attack him but close enough to pose a threat. "You're taking my sister hostage?"

Sokka replied for the group. "Yeah, and if you try to follow us we'll dump her in the ocean!"

Zuko just blinked in response as Aang helped Katara walk towards Appa. Time seemed to stand still as Zuko looked at his dumbfounded sister and back at the Avatar. After a few moments Zuko made his decision. He had already strayed from the path his uncle tried to help him on. It was too late now.

Zuko began to move and swung both of his fists towards Aang and Katara, sending a ball of fire towards them. Katara saw it first and reacted before anyone else could. She shoved Aang forward as the blast impacted her back again.

Aang fell on his face before getting up to see Katara down again. As he moved to go to her she stood up, fueled only by adrenaline and the need to protect him. There was no other way she was standing beside that and pure willpower.

He tried to get to her but all of the soldiers began to hurl blasts of fire at them again. A wall of fire arose and separated the two as he tried to save her. Using what little energy she had, she waterbended all the water she could to swipe away the blasts of fire.

Glancing back at Aang she smiled at him, one last time. Aang stared in horror as a stray blast of fire hit her side. He tried to run towards her again but fire kept landing in front of him, blocking his advance.

All he could hear was Sokka screaming for his sister and Toph yelling as she tried to bat away fireballs with her earthbending. "Aang! I can't keep this up!"

He looked back at them and then at Katara. He couldn't leave her. He wouldn't leave her. She looked back and mouthed out the last word he would ever hear. _Go._

Another blast of fire hit her as she began to gather more water and swat more of the fireballs. Aang looked back at Toph and Sokka panicking as they tried to survive. The most painful moment in his life happened right then. He took one last look into Katara's eyes as she turned and looked at him. He nodded and spun around with tears flowing from his eyes as he leaped onto Appa.

"… Yip yip."

Appa began to rise as he lifted them into the air. Zuko shouted, "Don't let them escape! Kill my sister if you have too! The Avatar can't escape her alive!"

All of the soldiers redirected their fire towards the flying bison as it took off. Katara saw that and used all of her water to block the blasts, leaving herself defenseless. Appa rose in the air leaving the battle behind.

Zuko watched and saw that Katara was defenseless and fired another blast of fire at her. She screamed in pain as she fell to her knees. Aang looked back to see something that would haunt him the rest of his life.

All of the soldiers sent blasts of fire at Katara as she screamed in agony. Those screams that he knew would plague him forever. Zuko just kept sending more blasts at her as she tried to crawl away. Aang's heart stopped as he saw her stop moving.

Appa continued to rise in the air as the battlefield turned into a smaller dot the further they got away. Aang sat down in the saddle heartbroken for what he just witnessed. Both he and Sokka were silent, for Sokka had lost his sister, and Aang lost the love of his life. Toph lost her friend and just stared down at the saddle.

They rode in silence a few minutes before someone spoke up. Azula talked to no one in particular, "Shame about your waterbender, but what are you going to do with me?"

Aang looked up at her and just stared for a few minutes. That stare went down to her core as she couldn't say anything. She couldn't say anything cruel or mean. His stare penetrated her and she couldn't move. _Say something…_

After a long silence Aang finally replied. "Please… Just… Shut up."


	2. Bad Heir Day

Here's chapter 2 for those few of you who read the fist one and enjoyed it! A bit short, so sorry about that. Felt like it came out alright without dragging it out. Please enjoy!

Also FYI, I'm not into the shipping stuff and I don't ship Aang and Azula. I just thought this would be an interesting and challenging concept to write about and wanted to give it a try and hopefully make it a good story. So please don't message me about shipping. Please. Anyway please enjoy!

* * *

Azula sat by herself away from the others in the saddle atop of the flying bison. Hours had passed since she had been captured by the group and no one had said a word since Aang had silenced her. The three had actually fallen asleep from the exhaustion the battle had brought. After wrapping up the gash on Sokka's arm.

However, all three looked to be having a restless sleep for all were moving back and forth and muttering things about Katara. Personally she didn't really care. She didn't know the girl and Zuko had been the one to kill her. Though she played a part in it and felt that retribution would come soon. Whether or not she would be tossed into the ocean was the only thing she had been thinking about the last few hours.

Azula then looked to see a small puddle of blood at her feet and felt the cut on her hand was still bleeding. That's when she noticed the pain she had been previously ignoring and it began nagging at her. Not caring about letting them sleep, she tried to wake them up.

"Ahem." No one awoke so she tried again a bit louder. "Ahem!"

Aang stirred for a moment before muttering, "Okay, Roku."

If Azula could tap her foot from impatience she would have, but the impromptu metal "shackles" that the Toph had put her in, she couldn't. Instead she just yelled at Aang. "Avatar!"

Aang, Toph, and Sokka all awoke groggy eyed to the shrillness of Azula's voice. As they all looked at her she spoke. "If you're going to keep me prisoner, you need to keep me in good health. My hand is cut and I need it wrapped."

Sokka glared at Azula with eyes full of malice. She may have not been the one who delivered the final blow but in his eyes it was still her fault. In a scornful voice he replied, "Help you?! You're lucky we don't kill you after all you've done!"

As he finished his rant he got up and tried to march over to her. Azula saw the bloodthirsty look in his eyes. That look was when one made up their mind and were about to kill. She had seen and had the same look plenty of times. However, this was the first time that at been directed at her and she felt actual fear. She couldn't escape with how she was shackled.

Thankfully Toph grabbed Sokka and tried to hold him back. He ignored her pleas and continued to try to go towards her. For the first time in her life Azula felt helpless. If the blind girl couldn't hold him back then she would die. She looked over at the Avatar who just watched with a distant stare in his eyes like it didn't matter what happened.

In almost a panicked tone Azula yelled at Aang. "You can't just let him kill me! Even if we're enemies you're the Avatar! You have to stop him."

Aang didn't reply as he watched what unfolded in front of him. He didn't know what to think or say or feel. It felt like there was a void that hadn't been there before. It was similar to how he felt when he saw Monk Gyatso at the Air Temple; except the rage hadn't yet begun to pour from the hole in his heart. He just felt complete emptiness.

Sokka shook Toph off of him and rushed the few separating him and Azula before grabbing her by her collar. Azula looked at Aang with pleading eyes only to see that same distant fogginess she had just looked into.

Sokka turned her over and held her by the back of her collar dangling from the side of the saddle with only her clasped feet inside. Azula tried to struggle but couldn't with the metal gauntlets that kept her arms and feet in place. All she could do was wiggle to try to escape, but she couldn't because she knew if he let go that she would fall to her death. So she just remained motionless, waiting for Sokka to decide her fate.

Only when Sokka decided to let go did Aang finally say something. "Sokka, don't kill her."

Sokka looked at Aang incredulously before reluctantly pulling her back onto the saddle. Only because his friend told him not to did he spare her. He wanted nothing more than to drop Azula into the ocean below and be done with it.

"Why Aang?" Sokka demanded. "She killed my sister! We can't let her get away with it."

Azula scrambled as she rolled over on her back and scooted away from him. She had never been that close to death and felt that much fear. At the same time she was angry; angry at the water tribe male and herself for being that helpless.

Aang pondered the question in his head for a few minutes. In all honesty he didn't know why they should spare her. He was raised to believe all life was precious. That killing was wrong even if the person means to do harm to oneself. That was the thing though, it _was_ what he believed. At that moment he didn't know what he should do.

Katara was gone. Not just for a while or captured so they could rescue her. She was dead and he felt like a part of him went with her. Yet he knew that they couldn't just kill her. No matter what he felt at the moment, he couldn't disregard the importance of her life like they had with Katara.

Finally Aang replied to Sokka quietly. "They took Katara from us. That doesn't mean we can take her life. Even if we want to…"

Sokka gritted his teeth angrily at Aang for protecting her. How could he defend Azula after losing Katara? It didn't make sense to him. "Aang, if you don't do something then I will. She was all I had left… now she's gone."

Aang let out a deep breath he didn't know he was holding. "Do you think I like this, Sokka?! Don't you think I want to do something? I've never wanted to hurt someone my whole life as much as I want to hurt Azula and Zuko! But…"

Aang hesitated as he tried to come up with the words he wanted to say. Though he believed it, he didn't want to believe what he was going to say. Not at that moment. He gulped before finishing, "We can't hurt her. It's wrong. Even if she deserves it."

Aang placed his face in his hands finished with the conversation. Sokka stared at Aang a few more moments before throwing his arms up in frustration and stomping back to where he had been sitting. He knew Aang was right, but it felt so wrong to him.

Azula looked between the two before pushing her luck. She now knew they wouldn't kill her so she felt that she had some security and it took the fear of her safety out of the equation. In her normal demanding tone she told them, "My hand is still bleeding." When no one moved to help her she continued, "Are you just going to let me bleed? What if I die from blood loss or infection?"

Aang groaned before walking the few steps over to her and sitting in front of her. "Toph, can you help out here?"

Toph snorted in agitation before nodding to him. Even though she couldn't see she wouldn't look at Azula. She knew she might just throw her off and Aang wouldn't be able to calm her down. It would just be better if she ignored Azula's existence until more time had passed since Katara was struck down. Or they got rid of her, whatever happened first.

Aang then look at Azula and saw a smirk on her face. He wanted nothing more than to just dumb her over the side, but he knew he couldn't. It wouldn't be right; so he ignored it. "If you try anything then I can't stop them from dropping you. Just let me finish and we'll all be fine."

Azula wanted to laugh, but the look on his face told her that he was dead serious. She glanced over to see Sokka was glaring at her. Hesitantly she looked back at Aang and nodded. Aang then let Toph know what to do and she followed through.

Toph used her metalbending to quickly separate the makeshift metal gauntlets on Azula's arms into two and swing them back around in front of her and connect them to each other. Azula look surprised before it quickly turned to annoyance.

"I thought you were going to free my arms?"

Aang looked at her skeptically and she couldn't blame him. She probably would have tried to escape the minute she was free. Toph then used her metalbending to open up the gauntlets just enough to free her wounded hand.

Aang attempted to reach for her hand before hesitating. "Don't try to shock me with your lightning or anything."

Azula scoffed at him as she turned her head away from him. "Fine, just get it over with already."

Aang didn't reply. He just pulled out a bandage from their supplies and began to wrap her hand. Each wrap around stung her hand enough to not really hurt but more annoy her.

"Can't you use some of your waterbending to heal it?"

Aang stopped wrapping her hand a moment and replied without looking at her, "I can't do that. Katara could use water to heal…" A few moments passed before he continued wrapping her hand.

Azula looked at him kind of awkwardly not knowing what to say. "So, Katara was the waterbender?" Aang nodded remaining silent which was starting to annoy her. She didn't like being ignored and she would not deal with that.

"So what's the name of the blind and dumb one?"

Aang replied curtly, "Toph and Sokka. Katara was his sister."

Again Azula cringed a bit from the curt response. _Why are they so worked up over this Katara person? In battle you lose people. Simple as that._ Then she thought that making him a bit angry might get more of a response out of him.

"You can always find another waterbender healer. Sure there's a bunch of them. Might point you in the right direction if you let me go."

Aang tightened her wrap enough to make her cringe in pain. "We can't replace her. She's not just some waterbender."

Azula snidely rebutted, "Sure you can. It's pointless because you'll fail when you fight my father but you can find some waterbender to heal me."

Aang stopped wrapping her hand and starred into her eyes. She saw a hint of the same look Sokka had when he just minutes before tried to kill her. Instead of shouting like she expected, he spoke quietly and calmly which made it more intimidating. "She has a name. Her name is Katara."

Azula tried to interrupt him. "Whatever, just finish."

Aang stopped her as he used one hand to gently grab her chin and point her face towards him. She would never admit it but it sent a shiver up her back. No one had ever laid a hand on her before. No one had the bravery or stupidity to. Yet she knew he wasn't going to actually harm her.

"Azula, her name is Katara. Say it."

Azula glared right back into his saddened yet serious eyes with defiance. No one told her what to do and she didn't follow anyone's orders. She wasn't going to start with him. After a few tense moments Aang repeated himself.

"Katara. I loved her. I never told her and now she's gone. Please just say it. Please acknowledge her name."

Azula stared into his unwavering pleading eyes, seeing he wasn't going to back down on it. The request was simple enough and she could tell it really mattered to him. As he continued staring she actually felt something. _I feel… Bad? But why? Am I feeling guilty?_ She swallowed the unknown feeling she felt and sighed.

Reluctantly she replied, "Katara."

Aang let go of her chin and reached down to finish wrapping her hand. He left it snug but not too tight for it to hurt and backed away from her. Sitting down with his back towards her he grabbed Appa's reigns and began to steer him.

Azula looked down at her hand and felt a little relived she was no longer bleeding out. In a slightly condescending tone she said, "Thanks… Avatar."

Aang didn't respond right away. He let a few minutes of silence pass between them before replying, "It'll leave a scar. Sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Azula was a little taken back from the apology. "Why are you apologizing to me?"

Aang turned his head to look at her. "Hurting others is wrong. Even if you attacked us. Even if your brother killed Katara. Hurting you doesn't make it right. Hurting you doesn't help anyone."

Azula fundamentally disagreed with his worldview. How could he forgive her so easily? It did not make sense to her. Instead of remaining quiet and keeping her opinion to herself, which would have been wiser considering the circumstances, she voiced her thoughts.

"You're naïve, Avatar. How can you forgive someone that killed your friend? Your loved one? If someone killed my loved ones, I wouldn't stop until I heard their blood curling screams as they begged for my mercy."

Aang gave her a forced smile as he replied. "I didn't say I forgive you. I don't think I ever can." Then Aang's eyes widened as a thought crossed his mind. "That's why… You can't understand."

Azula looked at him quizzically. "What? What is it I don't understand?"

Aang responded, "Do you know what it is to be loved? Do you know what it feels to love?"

Azula tried to respond but stopped before she could say anything. Not a single person came to mind as she thought on the question. There was no one she loved. Her brother was just a fool in her eyes. Her father, she respected but she didn't love him.

The second question bothered her more. No one loved her. Her brother would have killed her several hours before in collateral damage. She would have done the same but her brother doing it felt like a hollow victory. She had finally brought him down to her level. She just never thought about the potential consequences of it.

Her father never showed her the love she saw other parents give their children; but they were different. They were royalty; it had to be so to show others the power and level of respect the ruling family demanded. He didn't have time to give her love.

Then there was her mother. Her mother had time, but she like Zuko more. Her mother thought she was a monster. That point she couldn't really argue, in fact she agreed with the assessment. Still it hurt; her mother should still love her even if she was a monster. Then how come she didn't? That thought ate at her every time she thought about it or looked at Zuko.

Seeing that she was thinking on an answer Aang continued. "When you finally have something you love, then you'll understand. You'll understand just how we feel. You'll understand just how hard it is to forgive you."

Azula looked back at Aang clearly struggling, trying to comprehend what he was saying and why it was affecting her the way it was. All she could manage to get out was, "Why? Why forgive me then?"

Aang just shook his head in disappointment. "It's easy to hate someone. It's easy to give in to the temptation to strike out and try to cause harm to someone. I have all this power that I know I could use to do those things. But that won't solve anything."

Again Azula rebutted, "But why then?"

Aang pinched the bridge of his nose in contemplation before responding. "Because retaliation is easy. It takes someone truly strong to forgive someone for such an awful act."

Azula's brows rose in confusion. She had no idea what he was talking about. It just sounded like nonsense to her. "Strong? That's weakness. You're even more foolish than I had thought. There is no way you can stop my father with that mentality."

Again Aang shook his head in disappointment, which greatly aggravated her. "Try forgiving someone next time they wrong you. It'll be harder to forgive them instead of hating them. Seeing how you are… you; I'm not sure if you even could."

Azula was fed up with the argument. She didn't want to continue it any longer or else she might have an aneurism. Aang saw the irritation in her face and had the last word. "Just think about it."

Azula grunted in aggravation. She hadn't been in their hands long and was already going crazy. She tried to change the subject, "Where are we going anyway?"

Aang replied, "Avatar Roku talked to me while I was dreaming. We're going to his home."

* * *

Zuko arrived back at the palace, not knowing what to expect. He failed in capturing the Avatar and lost his sister. The only reason he came back was to face whatever punishment his father would deal him. Whatever drove him before was gone. It died alongside Katara when he killed her.

Zuko approached the throne room knowing his father would not be pleased. He looked at him and bowed to him. "Father. I failed."

Fire Lord Ozai stared down at his son, clinching his fists in rage. "You kneel before me in failure again? Why did you even return? And where is your sister?"

Zuko looked up at his father defeated. "We found the Avatar and his friends. We surrounded them and they got away."

Ozai stood up and marched over to his son, staring down at him displeased. "You had them surrounded and they still got away?"

Zuko looked down in shame before nodding slowly. "I managed to kill the waterbender girl in their group but they got away."

Ozai was furious but that little bit of information stayed him from going over the edge. "You killed his companion? Explain how they got away."

Zuko heaved a heavy sigh before responding. "They took Azula hostage. That's how they got away."

Zuko waited anxiously for whatever punishment his father would bring to him. Instead his father surprised him with his response.

In a cool yet angry tone his father responded, "They took her hostage and you let them get away?"

Zuko responded unemotionally, "I ordered the men to fire at them. I tried to take them all down, including Azula. The waterbender saved them so I killed her."

Ozai placed his hand on Zuko's shoulder, sending a shiver down his spine. In a forceful tone he told him, "Rise." Zuko did and stared into his father's eyes. "You tried to kill them while sacrificing your sister?"

Zuko nodded before reluctantly responding, "Yes…"

Ozai let go of Zuko and paced a few steps as he rubbed his beard. Each second that passed only fed into the tension that was building in the room. Finally his father spoke. "You actually tried to kill your sister. I-I didn't think you had it in you."

Zuko blinked in surprise, dumbfounded from his father's statement. "What? You're not mad?"

Ozai laughed before turning back to his serious self. "Oh no, I'm still furious. You failed and let your sister be captured. I'm just surprised you finally let go of whatever it was that was holding you back and did whatever it took to win. Even if it meant killing your sister. You failed but it's the ambition and thought that counts. She would have done the same to you if given the chance. That's why I liked her. She didn't let anything get in her way."

Zuko looked down in shame. His father was right. He had let go of what made him who he was. When he betrayed Katara back in Ba Sing Se, he lost it. When he killed Katara, it was the nail in the coffin. All he could do was stare at the floor knowing that whoever he had been was gone forever. Now he just wanted his father to do whatever he would do to him.

Ozai looked at his son with a sick combination of disappointment and pride. "I'm proud that you finally see the right way. But I have to punish you for your failure." Ozai then got into his bending stance and shot a blast of fire at Zuko, hitting him on the undamaged side of his face."

Zuko wailed in pain as he clutched at his charred skin. Ozai regained his composure and stepped closer to his son, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Know that I did this for your own good. We will defeat the Avatar and get your sister back."

Zuko stopped clutching his face and remained quiet. He looked up at his father and nodded. All he felt was self-pity. Not from the wound his father had just inflicted on him again, but for damning himself.

* * *

Aang and his friends had landed on Roku's home island hours earlier. Aang immediately began to meditate and went into the spirit world, leaving the others to watch for hours.

Aang finally awoke from his meditation much more knowledgeable about the past. Toph and Sokka looked at Aang wondering what he had learned. Azula looked indifferent bored from sitting there still in shackles.

Aang ran over to them and told them everything. Everything he had experienced with Roku. That Roku and the former Fire Lord Sozin had been friends and eventually betrayed Roku.

After Aang had finished everyone looked at him slightly skeptically and surprised. Sokka spoke first, "So Roku showed him mercy and Sozin just betrayed him like that?"

Toph added, "It's like these people are born bad."

Aang shook his head in disagreement. "No, that's wrong. I don't think that was the point of what Roku showed me at all. Roku was just as much Fire Nation as Sozin was, right? If anything their story shows that anyone is capable of great good and great evil. Everyone, even the Fire Lord and the Fire Nation have to be treated like they're worth giving a chance."

Aang smiled as he added, "And I also think it was about friendships."

Toph looked down in thought before adding, "Do you really think friendships can last more than one lifetime?"

At that point Azula interrupted. "That's all very touching but irrelevant. Even if my great-grandfather did that, it doesn't help you now. My father will try to kill you. How do you plan in stopping him?"

Aang just shook his head. "I don't know. But I'll try my hardest to stop him. I saw how your great-grandfather started the war. I saw how Roku didn't prevent it. And now I'm  
going to try to end the war. Even if I die trying. I have to. I can't abandon everyone like I did the first time. I can't abandon them like I did Katara. Not this time."

Azula gave Aang small smirk before rebutting, "Are you going to forgive him too? How do you think that will work with a wall of fire descending upon you?"  
Aang looked at Azula and gave her a grim smile. "I can't forgive you now, but I hope I can. I hope I find the strength to so we can one day be friends."

Azula looked at Aang surprised before snorting as she looked away. "Whatever, Avatar."

Aang gave a modest chuckle before correcting her. "If you're going to be with us, you can call me by my name. It's Aang."

Azula wanted to fry him where he stood. "I'm not with you, I'm your prisoner. Stop acting friendly towards me."

Aang jumped onto Appa's back and laughed. "We're definitely not friends. But you're with us even if you're our prisoner."

Before Azula could respond Toph lifted her up by metalbending her shackles and threw her into the saddle face first. She growled but couldn't retaliate against them, but she would remember it when she did escape. Toph and Sokka got on the saddle as well before Appa took off, leaving the island behind.

* * *

Zuko stepped in front of his uncle's cell and looked at him for guidance. Iroh looked up to see that now his entire face was burned. "What happened, Zuko?"

Zuko looked down and didn't respond. Iroh accepted that for the moment and changed the subject, "Did you get the message I sent you?"

Zuko shook his head, again remaining silent. Iroh looked at his nephew patiently before continuing. "I wanted to help you better understand the battle within yourself. Evil and good are always at war inside you, Zuko. It is your nature, your legacy, but there is a bright side."

Zuko shook his head again as he interrupted. "No, Uncle. There is no bright side to this. We went after the Avatar and lost. I killed his waterbender, Katara. I can't go back now."

Iroh stared at his nephew with shame and disappointment. A few tears fell from his eyes before he reached up to wipe them. Almost pleading more to himself he said, "Zuko. You killed that girl? How could you do this, Zuko?"

Zuko got up and punched the wall by the cell door. "I failed Uncle! This battle of good and evil. Evil won. I'm not even sorry that I killed her. I'm sorry that I gave up on trying being a good person. I'm sorry I gave up on you. I'm sorry I gave up on myself." As he finished he stormed from the room, leaving Iroh alone.

Iroh watched him leave and wept in remorse. He wept for Katara. She didn't deserve to die, and Zuko had been the one to kill her. He wept for his nephew for falling from his path. "How could you do this, Zuko? It's not too late to redeem yourself, but you have to try." No one heard his words as he wept alone in his cell. Deep inside though, it just made him even more determined to escape and help the Avatar defeat the Fire Lord, so no innocents would die again.


	3. A Risky Deal

Hello readers! Here's the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy. And again to be clear, I don't personally ship them outside of this story but inside they will. That was to an anonymous review and to anyone confused. Lately I've been seeing those more often and for some reason some people who aren't anonymous I can't send a message to. Oh well. Please enjoy.

* * *

Azula sat curled up in a small impromptu "cell" that Toph had made for her. The Avatar and his friends left her there while they tried to invade the Fire Nation and defeat her father during the solar eclipse. Not wanting to take their prisoner with them they used earth bending to bury her in a hole while they while they were away.

It was small and cramped and the metal gauntlets she was still in certainly didn't make the situation any better. If there was anything to be thankful for, it was that they had left her a hole to breathe.

All she could do was recollect the last few days of her life being a prisoner of the Avatar. It wasn't as bad as she thought being a prisoner would be. All she really did was mock and throw insults towards her captors. It was all she could do to ease her boredom from being shackled all day.

 _As soon as I get a chance to escape… They'll pay for this._ A laugh escaped her throat as she thought about her last few days. _At least the blind one is entertaining. She was scamming all those people out of money. Just goes to show that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover._

 _Even seeing the Avatar start to lose it from lack of sleep was enjoyable. Even with his kind of power, he still fears my father, and rightly so._ Then her thoughts shifted towards another mood, one she couldn't quite grasp.

 _All three of them get this dazed look in their eyes whenever someone mentions the waterbender. Even the blind one. Is that what it's like to lose someone you love? It just leaves you an emotional zombie? Why the hell would anyone want that? It sounds foolish._

Then the thought of Katara's father crossed her mind. When the Avatar met with the invasion force they talked to her dad who apparently was their tribe's leader. When they told him his daughter had been killed he broke down in front of everyone. _I may be cruel and heatless but that was… I don't know. It felt uncomfortable? No it was worse than that. Empathy, maybe? Is that what I felt? Or even guilty?_

Shaking her head from the direction her thoughts were going she looked up as the rock opened above only to be blinded by light that invaded her cell. When her eyes had a moment to adjust she saw the Avatar's disappointed face.

"Back so soon?" Azula asked condescendingly.

Aang reached down without a word and pulled her out. He began to walk towards Appa with his shoulders sulking in defeat. Azula watched a moment and asked with a raised brow, "You're not going to just throw me up there? You just think I'll follow?"

Aang rubbed his eyes clearly not in the mood to deal with her attitude. It had been a long day and he just wanted it to be over. In a tone that hinted at irritation he replied, "I'd rather not. Can you just follow and hop on?"

Azula looked down as she thought about it a moment. A few days prior, Toph had made a chain out of the metal bindings on her legs so she could walk instead of being dragged or hop along. She still couldn't move them that much but enough so that she could shuffle along.

Knowing she couldn't escape she shrugged and began to shuffle along, feeling slightly humiliated. She knew she must have looked like an otter penguin. Fortunately no one was really paying attention to her to see her embarrassment and anguish.

As Azula neared Appa, Aang again reached down and pulled her up, sitting her on saddle. Instantly she snapped, "What took you so long?"

Appa lifted off and soared into the air. Aang waited knowing that it irritated Azula when they ignored her. After a few more minutes he sat across from her in the saddle and answered, "We had to drop off some friends before we got you."

Azula didn't really care for the answer. She just wanted to talk to pass the time until they slipped and she could make her escape. "Guessing the invasion didn't go so well?"

Sokka who had remained quite replied, "And what makes you so sure?"

Azula wanted to laugh at him but she acted nonchalant and shrugged to anger him further. "You all look so disappointed. That and we've known about the invasion for months."

Sokka couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had his suspicion during the invasion because the Fire Nation was so prepared for them along with the fact that they couldn't even find the Fire Lord. Now his suspicions were confirmed, he didn't know what to say. It had all been for nothing. His dad and all those people were captured or killed for nothing.

Seeing him in a moment of weakness, Azula wanted to cut him even deeper. "It's a shame you escaped. Maybe if they would have got you, you could have seen that girl."

Sokka snapped his head out from his palms and looked at her slightly confused. "What?"

A slight smile crossed Azula's lips as she continued speaking indifferently. "Yeah, she was my favorite prisoner. Couldn't stop talking about you. She was convinced that you were going to come rescue her. Of course, you never came, and she gave up on you."

Sokka lunged towards Azula and grabbed her by the collar of her armor. "Where is Suki?!" Sokka said in a demanding angry tone. Azula shrugged again sending him further into rage.

Deciding to intervene before Sokka killed her, Aang pulled him back and sat him down. Sokka wanted to fight back but after everything that happened that day he just felt utterly defeated. He accepted he couldn't just kill her and sat there lost in thought.

Azula kicked her feet feeling a small victory. If they were going to keep her shackled, she was going to torment them. She knew they wouldn't kill her so there wasn't really a point to reign in her attitude. The only thing she was going to stay away from was the waterbender, Katara.

That probably would send them over the edge with her, if she made any comments about her. She learned that their first night riding together and wouldn't make that mistake again. That and the feeling of whatever it is was when she thought about the girl and what happened.

After a few hours of silence Azula asked in an irritated tone, "Where are we going anyway?"

Aang's face began to light up as he directed Appa to descend down the edge of a cliff. Azula's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as she looked upon the buildings built into the side of the cliff. They looked like temples built upside down, no other way they couldn't have been built. Impressed would be an understatement; she had never seen anything like it before.

Appa landed quickly prompting them to get off. Azula tried to ease herself off the side and ended up falling face first. Luckily Aang sent a gust of air up towards her flipping her back to land feet first. If she wasn't his enemy she might have thanked him, but even so she probably wouldn't have.

"This is the Western Air Temple!" Aang exclaimed.

Sokka looked around and rubbed his chin impressed by the temple. "This is nice, but now we have to get down to business." Turning his attention to Aang he asked in a serious tone, "What are we going to do now?"

Aang looked at Toph and shrugged. Toph turned her head towards him and commented, "You know I can't see right?" Aang looked visibly embarrassed before she laughed and added, "It's alright Twinkle Toes, I'm just messing with you. I can feel your guy's body language pretty well."

Sokka waved her off continuing where he left off. "All jokes aside we need a plan. If you ask me I think the new plan should be the old plan. You just need to master all four elements and defeat the Fire Lord before the comet comes."

Azula snorted annoyed by their conversation. Sokka eyeballed her irritated and asked, "You have something to add?"

Again she snorted before looking at the three of them. "You tried that before and look how that ended." The three returned blank stares at her prompting her to sigh and continue. "Do you know what insanity is?"

Toph interjected, "You…"

Azula glared at her few moments before continuing. "No. Insanity is doing the exact same thing over and over again, expecting things to change. That is crazy. Even if you somehow learn to bend all of the elements, do you think you can win?"

The group looked at each other thinking about what she was saying before Aang rebutted, "But I didn't even see the Fire Lord at the palace. If I learn all of the elements, I should be able to beat him."

All Azula could do was give Aang a blank stare. She wanted to scold and ridicule him but she wasn't on her side. She wasn't trying to help him but she was trying to make it clear that there was no way he could win against her father.

"My father is a firebending master. Quantity won't beat quality. If you can barely do all four, do you really think you can beat him? Really? You might as well give up and let me go right now."

Clearly irritated Sokka tried to erase the doubt that she was trying to plant in Aang's head. "Don't listen to her. She just wants you to give up. We just need to get you ready to fight him and I'm sure you'll win."

Leaning back Aang flicked a small pebble as he thought about it. "How am I even going to find a firebending teacher?"

Sokka replied, "We could look for Jeong Jeong."

Scoffing at the idea Aang stood up and began to pace. "Like we'll ever see him again." Aang paced back and forth for a few moments before an idea came to his head. He didn't think it would work but he had to ask.

"Azula, can you teach me?" All she returned was a blank stare so he added, "Please?"

In almost a shout she responded, "Why on earth would I teach you? I thought you were naïve but now I'm beginning to think you may just be an imbecile."

Aang pouted before turning away from her. He didn't expect her to agree but he thought it was worth a shot. The only other person who firebend that he thought would help him was Iroh, but he had no idea where he was. At a loss of where to learn firebending Aang began to walk away to be alone with his thoughts.

They had been doing that often since Katara had passed. The joy and childish antics they had engaged in would still happen but less frequently. The pain from her death was still raw and no one in the group really thought they would get over it.

Azula on the other hand was frustrated. Angry because of the situation she was in; irritated that the Avatar would ask her such a ridiculous question. _Like I'd teach him. Why would I teach him so he could have a better chance to defeat my father? He really is just a naïve child._

Breathing in trying to calm her nerves, her nose squirmed slightly repulsed. Looking around to see where the smell was coming from she breathed in again. _What is that? It smells like…_ That's when Azula realized the smell was coming from her.

Leaning her head down, she took a whiff of her armor and felt like gagging. Azula hadn't paid much attention but now she realized she smelled like someone who hadn't bathed in days because in fact she had not. They kept her locked up the whole time only letting her "loose" when she had to go to the bathroom. Neither she nor they thought about her hygiene the entire time.

Feeling self-conscious she spoke aloud, "I smell."

Everyone turned their attention to her and all had the expression that something had dawned on them. Sokka was the first to reply. "Oh, that's what that smell was. I thought something was starting to smell ripe."

Toph nodded in agreement. "Body odor. Couldn't think of it but yeah, that's what you smell like. Dirty socks."

All Azula did was glare at all of them before huffing and blowing some hair out of her face. When they didn't say anything else she spoke impatiently, "I need to bathe…"

Sokka gave her a peace sign and walked away. Toph began to pick some dirt off her toes, not really caring about what Azula was saying anymore. Aang shrugged not really knowing how to handle the situation. They couldn't just free her to bathe because they knew she would try to escape and get reinforcements. That or attack them immediately.

Staring at the remaining two Azula began to become angrier. "If you're won't let me go to wash myself then one of you is going to have to wash me."

Aang turned red as he pointed towards Toph. "She'll wash you!" he said quickly.

Still picking at her feet she shook her head. "Nope. Just because I'm blind doesn't mean I'd ever wash you. That's all you, Twinkle Toes."

Azula looked over at Aang waiting impatiently to lead her somewhere to bathe. Aang was as bright as a tomato clearly not wanting any part of it. Seeing his unwillingness, Azula sighed. "Look it's only weird if you make it weird. As a child I had plenty of servants that would bathe me."

Beads of sweat began to pour from Aang from the nervousness that was building up in him. One she was a girl and he was a boy. Two, he didn't hate her but he extremely disliked her. Even if they were friends he would be uncomfortable with it. Three, she was just a person and he never thought about bathing someone else.

Standing up Azula began to shuffle towards him. "Or you can loosen these shackles and let me take care of it myself."

Weighing the options, Aang thought about it. He thought about letting her just do it, even if she escaped to save him the pain of having to wash her. Or he could and he would be mentally scarred the rest of his life. A third option he thought of was to just let her sit in her own musk but that wasn't appealing either.

In a suspicious tone he asked, "If we let you out you're going to attack or escape, aren't you?"

Tilting her head back as if contemplation she nodded. "Yes, I would."

With a heavy sigh he gave in. Looking at Toph he told her, "Can you bend her cuffs so she can move each arm and leg but can't move her hands or fingers? Need to be able to get her-" Gagging he finished, "Clothes off."

Toph walked over to them and began to metalbend each part of the metal gauntlets on Azula's arms and legs. Each part formed a big ball of metal that encased each hand and foot. Instead of being stretched out to cover most of her forearms and legs, she was now freer to move around. Yet she knew unless she clubbed them to death, there was still no way to escape.

Looking at Aang, he gave another heavy sigh and began to lead her to a bathing room in one of the temples. As they marched along, Azula had a hard time actually walking with the metal shoes. They were odd and clunky and brilliant. There was no way she could fight or run in them. Though it frustrated her, she had to give them credit where credit was due.

When they reached a bathing room Aang turned on the faucets. He was pleasantly surprised to see that the plumbing still worked. Letting it run a few moments so whatever gunk had built up the last hundred years, Aang waited anxiously. He really didn't want to do it but at the moment he saw no other choice.

As the last of the brownish water came out of the facet and down the drain, clean clear water began to pour out. Waiting a few moments for it to warm, Aang then plugged the drain as it began to fill.

Turning back around, he saw Azula staring at him impatiently with her cold demeanor. "Are you just going to sit there or are you going to help me undress?"

Rubbing his face in agitation, Aang walked over to her and nodded. "Arms up…"

Azula laughed at him. "Not thrilled about washing your enemy?" His only response was an eye twitch, so she continued. "Or have you never seen a girl naked before?"

A blush began to creep up Aang's annoyed face. "You know I'm only twelve… And aren't you only like 15?"

She rebutted, "I'm 14. And aren't you technically like 112?"

Clearly annoyed, Aang began to yank off her armor. "I'm technically old enough to be your great-grandfather so shut up so we can get this over with."

She sat down on the edge of the bath as he began to pull off her top that was underneath her armor. Looking up she almost laughed seeing that he had his eyes closed. It was funny seeing how flustered he was getting before even getting to bathe her.

Lifting her legs he began to pull off her pants with his eyes still clamped shut. In a weird combination of teasing and mocking she said, "Now, take off my undergarments." Nervously his fingers reached up and began to pull with twitching fingers.

Again she almost laughed out by how flustered he was. When he managed to pull her underwear off she turned her back to him and added, "Now my bra."

Aang again nervously reached and fiddled with the clasp. After a few minutes, Azula became impatient and yelled, "Just unclasp it already!"

Aang gulped before redoubling his blinded efforts. After a few more moments he finally succeeded and got it loose. Azula told him to take it off completely and he complied. Finally finished she sunk into the lukewarm water and began to relax.

She could already feel some of the grim begin to peel off of her and she was thankful. "You can look now, it's just my back."

Aang shook his head determined to never see whatever was in front of him. When he didn't relent she sighed before adding, "Alright, get a rag to scrub me clean of this wretched filth at least."

Turning away Aang clumsily felt around the room for a cabinet, hoping that one still had a rag in it. She had to voice out what direction for him to go until he finally made his way to one and opened it. Reaching inside he was ecstatic that it was actually full of rags and towels.

Reaching up, Aang grabbed one from the middle and pulled it out. He shook whatever dust was on it before wetting it in the water. The next few minutes would be the most awkward and painful moments of his life as he began to wash her off. Each scrub from the rag felt like he was rubbing a bit of his own soul away. Never would he mention it to anyone.

When he finally finished he threw the rag at a wall disgusted by the act. He brought her a towel and began to dry her off as well. Finally finished, Aang reached down for her clothes.

Azula snapped, "You aren't really considering I still wear those? They're dirty and torn up. I'm not a peasant."

Aang sulked and ran out of the room. Sprinting over to Appa, he leaped into the saddle and looked at Katara's back. No one had touched her stuff since she had died, but he knew that she was the only one who had clothes that would fit Azula.

A stray tear escaped his eye as he whispered to himself, "I'm sorry, Katara. I need to borrow your clothes... You probably won't want them back…" Aang reached in and grabbed the fire nation clothing that Katara had worn when they first came to the country. That and feeling extremely uncomfortable, he grabbed a pair of her underwear.

With what he needed, Aang ran back to the room. Before turning the corner and entering, he closed his eyes and walked in. Azula was standing to the side, glaring at him angry that he made her wait. Aang placed the clothes down by the bath.

Azula didn't say anything as he began to swing his hands trying to navigate. Azula coughed and gained his attention. He grabbed the underwear and pants he brought in and shuffled over to her with his eyelids still clamped shut.

It was amusing to her at first, but now it was just annoying her. Not wanting to make it last any longer than he wanted, they both quickly got her bottoms on. Aang turned back and grabbed the shirt. However, luck was not with him as he took a step forward and slipped on a small puddle of water.

Too irritated to notice, Azula didn't see him falling towards her at breakneck speed. Instantly they both toppled over with him atop of her. Finding herself on her back, she looked and saw him laying on her.

Aang didn't have to open his eyes to know what his face was touching. He instantly sprang up and screamed in terror before fleeing to the other side of the room. Azula's eye twitched as she tried to send a fire blast his way, only to realize she couldn't with how they had her restrained.

Extremely agitated, Azula slowly got up and turned her back to him. "All you can see is my back. Open your eyes and finish."

Slowly opening his eyes, Aang walked over and picked up the shirt. She lifted her arms trough it as he pulled it down. Finally finished she turned towards him and gave him the scariest look that would forever be etched into his mind. "I don't care if you have me strapped to a chair with a straight jacket on in a dungeon in the hottest volcano. Ever do that again and I'll kill you."

Aang nodded furiously before leading her out of the room. She let out almost a growl before following behind. The two came back out into the courtyard to see Toph and Sokka lying about. Right as Aang was about to sit, Azula coughed.

"Ahem." He looked at her to see what she wanted to bug him with. "After a bath I need my hair brush. I can't just have it in a tangled mess."

Sighing in defeat, Aang again went over to Katara's bag and pulled out her brush. He walked back slowly, staring at the brush, lost in thought. Azula looked at him and was about to snap again, until she noticed the water tribe design in the brush.

Again feeling what she thought might be a tinge of guilt she asked in a neutral tone, "That was hers. Wasn't it?"

Glancing between the brush and her, he nodded. "I'm not heartless… You don't have to use that. Just don't tell anyone I did you any favors."

Almost slumping down Aang breathed in slowly and exhaled. "No, it's okay. Let's just get this over with." He stepped behind her and began to brush her hair. She was surprised at how gentle he was as he made each pass.

"When you lose, if my father doesn't kill you, you'd make a good servant. You could brush my hair every day." Azula remarked.

Seeing that he wasn't answering her she began to think. The way it was going, they weren't going to let her free of even one shackle. It also appeared they weren't just going to abandon her somewhere or free her. She had to think of another move.

"Avatar. Say I was to teach you firebending…"

Aang stopped brushing her hair and seemed to teleport from behind her and appear in front of her. With a suspicious stare he replied, "What would you want?"

Giving him a fake pout, Azula replied, "Oh, you think that low of me, Avatar?" When his expression didn't change she shrugged. "Alright, then let's cut to the chase. I tell you a few moves and you remove these shackles from me."

Aang shook his head. "Nope, not happening. You'd attack us as soon as you got the chance."

Azula glared at him frustrated. She knew she was arguing in the negotiation from a weak place, but she had to snake her way through it. "Alright, I teach you while free and I don't attack you."

Blinking the slowest blink Aang had ever done he replied, "And why wouldn't you attack us?"

Seeing that there might be a chance she smiled. There was always a way to get what she wanted, if she managed to use the right people however she saw fit. "I want some reassurances. " Aang gave her a question look so she continued. "I teach you, and in exchange after you fight the Fire Lord, you don't fight me on assuming his throne."

Both Toph and Sokka were now listening to the conversation and ran over to the two. "I thought you said he couldn't win?" Sokka asked.

Azula nodded. "I still don't, but look at it from my perspective. When you lose, I'm free and will take over at some point. If by some miracle you defeat my father, then you agree to let me take the throne. Either way I become the Fire Lord. That is if you follow with the agreement."

Toph, Sokka, and Aang glanced at each other before moving a few feet away from her and forming a group huddle. Azula watched as she heard whispers and the occasional suspicious glance towards her. The longer it went, the more frustrated she became until they finally seemed to come to an agreement and come back to her.

Aang spoke first, "If you agree to pull back the Fire Nation soldiers and return all the land your nation has conquered, and cease this war, we'll agree to your terms. But you have to teach me to actually bend fire well enough to compete with the Fire Lord."

Nodding she replied, "I can do that."

Sokka then interjected. "You also have to tell me where Suki is and help me get her."

Rolling her eyes Azula nodded. "Whatever. She's at Boiling Rock. I can do that."

Having remained quite so far, Toph added, "But you'll still have a restraint. It'll just be smaller and more manageable. You'll be able to move and bend."

Squinting her eyes at the blind girl, all Azula could do was agree. She knew she couldn't set all the terms, but as long as she became Fire Lord and was free of them, she could accept it. Aang, however, was not finished.

"If you try anything, like attack us or try to escape and come back with more people. If you don't follow through with our agreement, you don't pull back the armies, or you try to invade again. I will come for you. Now…" He smiled as he reached out his hand. "Do we have an agreement?"

Azula glared at the three a few moments before nodding and reaching her imprisoned hand to his, giving him a weird fist bump handshake. Toph grinned before using her metalbending to take the shackles off of Azula and form a collar and place it around her neck.

Eyeing her handiwork, Toph traced her finger along it. "I can't tell if it's pretty, but it sure is solid. If you try anything I'll pull you up or if it's really serious I'll crush your neck. Okay?"

Looking terrified, Azula looked at Aang shocked from the threat from the blind girl. Aang was unnerved too and voiced his thoughts. "Isn't that a little harsh?"

Sokka countered, "Isn't it harsh what they did to my sister?"

With a sigh, Aang looked down at the ground as he remembered that terrible night. "That's true, but that doesn't mean we can be cruel too. Don't kill her or anything. Just hold her against a wall or something."

Then another thought came to him. "Wait if you could have done that, why did I have to bathe her?"

Without missing a beat, Toph responded, "Because I thought it'd be funny…"

With a shrug both Toph and Sokka walked away from the two. Azula clinched her hands, getting used to moving them freely again. She pulled the wrap from her injured hand to find it was healing decently, but it was still raw. It was going to leave a large scar.

Rubbing the back of his head, Aang breathed out heavily. "Now that we're kind of on the same team, I'm sorry about that."

With an uncaring glance, Azula shrugged. "No big deal. You had to do what you had to do."

Aang retorted, "But I didn't have to injure you that badly. I'm sorry."

"Not going to defeat my father with that attitude." Azula responded.

Silence permeated the air between the two for a few moments. Aang had a frown from her words and replied, "Yeah… You keep saying that. Everyone does."

She could see the inner turmoil on his face. Now that they were a quasi-team she decided to throw him a bone. "I'm s-sor-…" Azula took few deep breathes before continuing. "Never thought I'd say this, but I'm sorry about your friend… Really."

With a forced grim smile Aang nodded in appreciation. "Thanks… But to other matters. We'll give Appa a little time to rest, and then we're off to get Suki. You'll lead the way."

The two gave each other a brief nod before Azula went back to finishing her hair. While she was she barked at Aang to practice some firebending forms. Not impressed she finished putting up her hair and snapped. "You'll never beat the Fire Lord with that. You need to channel your inner rage!"

Looking back at her, Aang replied, "But that's not me. Monks don't use or believe that being angry is good. We try to be at peace."

"And that's why you're the only one left." Azula replied coldly. Seeing his saddened expression she sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Sorry. That was cruel… Just try to get angry."

Sitting down he began to twiddle his thumbs in thought. It may have been cruel but it did have a tinge of truth to it. "You sure I have to? What if we went back to the source of firebending? Like air bisons were the original airbenders!"

Scoffing at him Azula sat too. "Well the original firebenders were dragons but they were all hunted down. There isn't any left. But if you really think it'll help the first people that learned from dragons were the ancient Sun Warriors. They died off thousands of years ago but we could go sightseeing their ruins if it'll help. They're nearby."

Hollering from Appa's back, Sokka let them know they were ready to go. Aang rubbed his chin and agreed. "Alright, after we get Suki, we'll go there. But… how are you going to get her anyway?"

Walking towards the bison, Azula replied, "I'll tell them to release her to me."

Matching her pace, Aang nodded. "But what will you do when your father hears about you helping me?"

Climbing up the side of Appa, she looked back and replied nonchalantly, "Same thing I'll say when he beats you. You forced me to help you or you'd kill me. Now shut up and let's get this over with."

Without another word, Aang hopped on top of Appa and commanded him to take off. Soaring through the air was relaxing, and looking back at his team and even Azula, he felt like they might be able to beat Ozai. That he actually had a chance, but he wasn't going to let his guard down around her. She was too dangerous to do so.

* * *

Zuko sat alone in his chambers staring into a mirror on his wall. A single candle sat beside him, barely illuminating the few feet near him. Enough so that he could see his face in the mirror; his old scar that covered one side of his face, and his new soon to be scar that was still raw and pulsating fluids.

He reached down and took another sip of some imported alcohol from the new colonies. Zuko had been doing that a lot lately. Most considered him an adult at his age and he agreed with the assessment. He just didn't know if they should consider him a person after what he had down.

A few more sips went down his throat as he glared at the mirror, looking to find something in it. Yet, he saw nothing; just the burned heartless monster glaring back at him. A few more sips went down before he dropped the empty bottle on the floor along with the others.

Hours passed and he kept staring at the mirror until finally he snapped and began to punch it repeatedly. Each strike shattering it further, as blood stained each glass shard that fell to the ground. When his rage finally subsided, Zuko fell to his hands and knees in the broken glass, further cutting himself.

Tears fell as he barely saw the mangled reflection of himself on the ground. _I tried to get my honor back, but I ended up giving up my humanity to achieve that. And I still didn't get it back… I never will._ Zuko sat up against the wall before slowly grabbing another bottle of liquor and popping it open. With a heavy sigh he began to drink from it as more tears rolled down his cheeks, in a hole of his own misery and despair.


	4. Welcome to Boiling Rock

Yo, here's the next chapter. And so no one gets confused I'm changing the dates so there's more time until Aang has to fight the Fire Lord. More time will make more sense for how this and the next chapter or two will go. Anyway, please enjoy!

* * *

Appa landed out of sight on the island that hosted the infamous prison, Boiling Rock. Azula had agreed to rescue Suki in exchange for the deal she and the Avatar had made. Personally, she didn't really care about the girl in question. It was just part of the agreement she made to help her attain the throne.

Gracefully she slid down Appa's side and landed firmly on the ground. She turned back to see the three staring at her suspiciously and truthfully, she couldn't blame them. She would be skeptical if she made a deal with a clone of herself too.

In a tone that bordered on overconfidence, Azula told her plan to them. "Avatar, you and your misfits will wait here until I return with the girl. It should only be an hour or so. Maybe two at most. Are we clear?"

The only thing that was clear to the three of them was that they couldn't really trust Azula. Not after everything that had happened. They weren't currently enemies but that could change at any moment. Sokka was the first to respond to her.

"So how exactly are you going to get her? You expect to just walk in and they'll hand her to you?"

"Yes." Azula replied curtly without a hint of hesitation. Seeing the slack jawed expression that all three gave her, she decided to explain in a little more detail in a self-assured manner. "I'm the princess of the Fire Nation. They'll do as I say. And don't worry; my own ambition to sit on the throne is greater than my loyalty to my father. I'm not going to betray you."

Aang's eyebrow twitched a little from her how she tried to reassure them. "Right…" Aang said in disbelief. "If you're not back here in two hours, or we see people coming, we're going to assume you betrayed us and we're leaving."

In response Azula waved them off, acting like there wasn't anything to worry about. "Whatever you say, Avatar. I won't dawdle. I'll be back soon with the girl." As she finished her sentence, she began walking away from the group towards the prison.

She knew they were watching her as she walked away, waiting to see if she would break out in a full run to escape. The thought did cross her mind but was quickly banished. Azula didn't expect them to trust her, but she was going to help them. Not because it was the right thing to do but because she was simply setting the game up so she would come out the winner no matter who won between her father and the Avatar.

After about fifteen minutes, she managed to hike her way to the only staircase on the small volcanic island. Reaching the top only took another few minutes of walking until the guards spotted her.

Both of the guards looked at her slightly confused before one asked, "Aren't you the daughter of the Fire Lord, Princess Azula? What are you doing here?"

Her lips curled into a coy grin from the recognition. The sound of footsteps traveled to her ears until another man stepped in between the two guards. Azula recognized him as Mai's uncle. He gave her a surprised look before becoming neutral.

"Yes, what is the daughter of the Fire Lord doing here, at my humble prison?"

The man was the warden of the prison; that much she knew. What she also knew was that he had a passion or better yet, a downright obsession with preventing prisoners from escaping. Azula almost laughed at the irony; he was going to help her free one of his prisoners.

Instead she kept up her usual demeanor and replied, "I'm here for a prisoner. You are going to release her to me and I'll be on my way. Please do hurry, because I have other matters to attend to."

The warden stared at her a few moments before nodding reluctantly to her. "Alright, please follow me." He walked over to the cable car that was the only way down into the prisoner in the middle of the volcano. Azula followed with a triumphant smirk from getting her way.

As the cable car crossed the lake of boiling water surround the prison, the warden began to speak boastfully about it. "This is the most secure prison in the Fire Nation. Many have tried to escape. None have succeeded." He turned to see that Azula was barely paying attention to him and yet he continued.

"We house all sorts of criminals. From common thieves to deserters... We even have prisoners of war and of course our own… traitors." The warden glanced at Azula as he finished his boasting to see that she still wasn't listening.

Scratching his chin he looked at her and commented, "I had thought that you were captured by the Avatar."

That caught her attention, as her eyes shifted over to match his stare. With her arms crossed she replied sharply, "I was. But I escaped. This prisoner will help me find them."

The warden continued staring at her without any emotion before shrugging. "Well I'm glad you escaped. We received word from the Fire Lord about that nasty situation. We already interrogated a few prisoners that knew the Avatar to see if they could disclose any useful information about his whereabouts."

This time, Azula shrugged before responding. "I'm fine now. Let's just get this over with so I can leave this hellhole."

The cable car stopped as it arrived at the prison's main door. The warden continued to stare at her a few more moments before nodding. "Glad you're safe… Princess. Just follow me and you shall leave shortly."

Azula nodded as she followed him through the doors. He walked down the hallway and led her to an office with a clerk filing some paperwork. "I'm afraid I have other matters to attend. Our clerk here will help you find the paperwork for the prisoner you seek." The warden stepped by the clerk and whispered something into his ears, causing his eyes to widen and him to stare at Azula. Quickly he nodded and the warden left the two alone.

Azula watched him leave and rolled her eyes. _That man is so proud of his little rock. How pitiful that he takes so much joy out ruling over these prisoners with an iron fist. But I suppose it's expected of someone who has never had a taste of royalty. He's just a pawn on a board that I'm going to rule._

Glancing at the clerk made her roll her eyes again. _Bet he told him I'm the princess of the Fire Nation. This guy is just staring at me. Fear or respect? I don't really care… As long as he knows his place._ Coughing into her hand to alert the man in front of her she spoke, "Are you going to find the information for my prisoner or not?"

The man's eyes grew wide before he began to nod furiously. "Y-yes! Sorry, I didn't think this would ever happen!"

Again a smirk crossed her face from the recognition. "Yes, I suppose lowborn such as you would be in reverence of royalty." Azula's tone shifted from pretention to one of irritation. "Get over it and hurry up, I don't have all day. The prisoner's name is Suki."

The clerk nodded frightened from Azula's change of demeanor and began shifting through files rapidly. A few minutes passed before he spoke. "Yes… Yes here we go. Suki from Kyoshi Island, Earth Kingdom. Got it." He stood up with the prisoner's papers and handed them to Azula.

"Just need you to sign on the dotted lines on those first three pages."

Azula nodded as she signed the papers to take Suki into her custody. The clerk took them and point at the door. "The guards will take you to her. Sh-she's out in the yard," he said nervously.

She looked at him with a raised brow. _This coward seems nervous. I guess I just radiate an aura that is meant to be feared and respected._ With a roll of her eyes she turned away from the clerk and stepped back into the hallway. Outside the door were several guards who led her outside to the yard.

The guards formed a protective sphere around her, with three in front and three more behind her. _Guess the warden doesn't want to take any chances with my safety. Whatever makes him feel better I suppose._

Finally the lead guard opened a door as rays of light flooded the hallway. Azula stepped out to see the yard that the prisoners were all either standing or sitting in. Her predatory eyes began searching through the crowd before she caught sight of Suki. Raising her finger she pointed, "That's her. Bring her so I can leave."

Two of the guards nodded and marched over to where Suki was leaning against a wall. Confusion was evident on her face as they practically dragged her over to Azula. Suki looked at Azula before her expression turned to anger. "You…"

In a mocking gesture, Azula used her hand to flip her hair back. "Yes, it's me. You're in my custody now. So be a dear and don't struggle while we leave."

At that moment she heard footsteps behind her, causing her to turn and see the warden step beside her. "Yes. You can finally leave… By the way, where will my guards escort you and your prisoner to? There haven't been any boats at our only dock on the island all day…"

Thinking quickly Azula responded, "We came in covertly on another part of the island. I didn't want to chance the Avatar seeing me arrive here and leave with one of his comrades." Azula mentally scolded herself for the absurdity of the excuse. _Why didn't I think of that? Of course he'd wonder how I got here._

A few tense seconds passed as the warden glared at Azula suspiciously. She tried to look indifferent, but a bead of sweat began to form on Azula's forehead because she thought he was on to her ruse. Time went by agonizingly slow until he sighed.

"I suppose you're right, Princess. Enemies could be an anywhere. Can't chance any potential threats."

 _He fell for it. What a fool. I have to remember to replace him when I become Fire Lord._

The warden stepped between Suki and Azula with a distant look on his face as he scratched his chin. With a shrug he addressed his men. "Well, as I instructed you earlier, take the prisoner."

"That is quite alright. I can manage her alone." Azula said. She didn't want them to follow her to her getaway, the flying bison. That and see that she was cooperating with the Avatar for the time being.

Spinning around the warden looked at Azula with a skeptical eye. "Yes, I understand. Don't want to attract attention from any flying bison, would we?" He then motioned to the guards who responded instantly. The two guards holding Suki threw her back towards the crowd of people as two behind Azula each grabbed one of her arms and pulled them behind her back.

In a startled and angry tone she hissed, "What are you doing? My father will have your head!"

The warden just looked at her indifferently, as if she was no different than any of the other prisoners. In a patronizing fashion he replied, "Yes, your father, the Fire Lord… I think he would be surprised to see you working with the Avatar."

She struggled against the two men holding her as she tried to break their grasps. "Are you insane? I'm not working with the Avatar!"

The warden simply held up his hand to silence her. "Just stop. You're lying. My men spotted you before you even landed. We saw you conversing with the Avatar atop that wretched beast."

Azula glared daggers at the man for being caught. What she thought would be a walk in the park was her actually walking into a trap. "You knew." Azula said bitterly.

This time the warden smiled from the omission. "As we speak some of my men are racing over to capture the Avatar. It won't be long now."

A split moment passed as Azula sulked down in defeat. However, it did not last long as she stood tall with a snarled grin on her face. "Well it appears you bested me warden. Yes I agreed to help the Avatar because he captured me. Now you have me so there is no need to help him anymore."

Her grin passed as she saw a sadistic grin go from ear to ear on his face. "I don't know what's more disturbing. One, you think I'm that foolish? Or two, you are telling the truth and I'll have to tell your father that your loyalty isn't committed fully to him; that you changed sides even for a moment. Or three, which I think is the likely case. You're playing both sides to attain something."

Azula returned a scowl at him that made his smile larger. "That's it, isn't it? Hit the nail on the head. But I wonder… What more could a princess want that she doesn't already have? I would guess it's the throne?"

Hearing the accusations towards her made her snap as she pulled an arm free and dropped herself to throw the other guard over her shoulder. More guards came to quell her, not giving her an inch to firebend. As she continued to grapple for her freedom, the warden continued.

"You're really defensive. Must be some truth in my words. We're going to put you in a cell until we hear back from the Fire Lord. Not sure what he'll do though. You may be his daughter but you are a traitor. Oh well. Guards, take her to a single cell."

* * *

Aang lay on his back lazily watching the clouds above. Azula hadn't been gone long but he was still worried. Worried that she would betray them and not help Suki get out. A part of him wanted her to get caught though, just so she would be punished. He wasn't proud of the idea but he accepted it as his true feelings.

If it was just to break out random people, he would probably tell the guards himself. He felt ashamed that he resented and held so much bitterness towards Azula and her family but it was because of Katara. If they hadn't been so brutal… Aang felt like something in him broke that night and knew that he might not ever be the same.

The voice of Toph rocked him out of his thoughts. "Guys! There's a bunch of guys coming our way. I think Azula backstabbed us."

Both Sokka and Toph climbed up onto Appa, angry for the betrayal.

"Told you we couldn't trust her Aang. Now we'll never get Suki." Sokka said intensely.

Aang just nodded in agreement. He wanted to see the good in Azula and give her a chance. Even if her brother killed Katara. She had only agreed to train him for her own personal gain, but that was a step in the right direction away from her father. _Perhaps some people can't change or atone…_

With a heavy heart Aang commanded Appa to take them into the sky. They flew up high rapidly to escape whatever danger was coming their way. Appa flew up and over the volcano so they could see the prison themselves. They were high enough to avoid any potential danger, but low enough to see the people in the courtyard of the prison.

Sokka peaked over and his jaw dropped, prompting Aang to go over to him to look as well. His jaw dropped two, confusing Toph.

"Guys, what are you seeing? What is it?"

Gulping in astonishment, Sokka managed to say, "A-Azula?"

"Azula what?" Toph said impatiently.

With his eyes as large as saucers, Aang finished Sokka's sentence. "Azula is struggling against the guards…"

At that moment, Azula looked up and locked eyes with Aang. Their stare seemed to go for eons before Appa took them out of sight. Aang sat in the saddle a few moments before placing his face in his hands.

"She didn't betray us… I was wrong…"

Toph sat and pondered what she heard for a few minutes before replying, "Can't believe she kept her word… What do we do now? We can't just leave her and Suki there."

Sokka pinched the bridge of his nose thinking intently. Azula being captured complicated the rescue mission to get Suki. He knew that the Fire Nation now knew they wanted to rescue her and would probably make it more difficult to save her. He didn't really care that Azula got caught, but now they needed a new plan.

"We have to go back and save Suki. I can't leave her here." Sokka said with steel in his voice.

With a nod, Aang agreed. "We get her back. And Azula too. We might not like her but she's the only one that can teach me firebending. And we just saw her get taken down. She didn't betray us. If she's willing to continue our agreement, we'll save her too."

The three agreed that they would go back and figure out a plan, no matter how long it would take. They wouldn't leave Suki to rot in there or Azula to go back to the Fire Nation capital before she could teach Aang firebending.

Sitting in silence, Aang thought to himself. _I kind of wanted her to get caught… Now Suki's stuck in there and she didn't betray us. I wished this on her… I'm a lousy person. Dang it._

* * *

Azula struggled against the guards as they grappled with her. A shadow cast itself in front of her, drawing her attention to the sky. As she looked up she saw the Avatar and his friends atop the flying bison, looking at her.

In that moment of hesitation, the guards slammed her to the ground trying to restrain her. Azula felt her nose start bleeding from being slammed into the ground face first. Luckily her nose wasn't broken but she was still furious.

Another look up and she locked eyes with Aang. Subconsciously she continued to resist the guards subduing her but she wasn't focused on them at all. Azula could only stare into the eyes that looked like they were full of guilt, surprise, and what looked like shame.

Only a few seconds passed but those seconds seemed like hours to her before he disappeared out of sight. At that point there was a guard on each of her limbs holding her down. She knew when she was defeated, but that didn't mean she liked it.

Finally done struggling the warden walked away and said, "Take her to her cell. Cuff her so she can't retaliate."

The guards nodded as each kept their grip on her limbs and hoisted her up. They carried her away into cell blocks, not allowing her to walk. Her screams and threats made them extra cautious and they wouldn't give her the chance to kill them. One guard followed behind with cuffs for her hands and ankles so she couldn't attempt to fight her way out.

They eventually reached a door and they opened it. The guards then held her down while the one with the shackles handcuffed her hands behind her back along with ankles cuffed together. Satisfied the man gave the others a thumbs up, prompting them to throw her into the very small cramped cell.

Again she landed face first causing her nose to start bleeding again. Azula wiggled her way up to a sitting position and tilted her head back to stop the bleeding. Just when she thought her day couldn't get any worse she realized she was in the tiniest room she had ever been in.

It had a mat on the floor to sleep on and a toilet in the corner. That was it. Enough room to lay down and sort of move freely. Never had she been locked in a cell but she could tell it was an isolation cell. For her own safety from other prisoners or because the warden didn't like her, either way she was angry.

The grime on the walls and ceiling disgusted her but what got to Azula most was that she was shackled again. A few minutes passed as she struggled to break free of her chains but all she did was hurt herself as the shackles dug into her skin. She kicked the wall with both her feet before slumping down in defeat.

Azula realized she wasn't going to escape so she began to think. Her father would be furious, that much she was sure of. However how angry she had no idea. At worse she would be banished like her brother Zuko was. At best she would be out of his good graces for quite a while.

All she could do was sit and wait for whatever would happen. No one bothered her throughout the day as she waited alone in her cell. The only sounds she heard was the occasional guard passing by or a prisoner yelling in agony in another cell.

Night descended upon the prison and Azula lay down on the mat to try to get some sleep. Not that it was a restful sleep. She snorted in agitation as she rolled on her side. The mat was more for decoration than comfort. That and her arms were shackled behind her back. Not the most comfortable position to be in.

Eventually her eyelids became heavy and she managed to fall asleep. It was a restless sleep as she tumbled and turned through the night, ending her first day at the prison.

* * *

Day 2

When she awoke she could feel the bags under her eyes. Again she managed to sit up to stare at the wall of her cell yet again. All Azula could do was sit and try to remain calm as time ticked by. She just sat and bottled her rage as it boiled inside her.

Hours passed and she sat in silence thinking of a way to talk her way out of her father's anger when he found out. Eventually a hatch at the bottom of the door slid open and a tray of food, if one could call it that slid in. Azula glanced at it for a few seconds before grunting in agitation.

"You expect me to eat this slop? I'm the princess of the Fire Nation. I demand something that's edible."

To her surprise a hatch slid open at the top of the door to reveal the warden's face. "That's the finest cuisine for one as noble as you, Princess."

The two glared at each other a few moments before Azula relented. She knew she wasn't going to get anything better but that was fine with her. She planned to get her revenge on the man when she got out.

"Take off these shackles and give me a spoon to eat whatever this is. And when am I getting out? My father won't be in the best of moods when he finds out how I was treated." Azula said coolly.

The warden snorted smugly before he responded. "We sent a messenger hawk. It should be back tomorrow with what to do with you. And no, I won't unshackle you. You'll have to eat it like any other traitor would." He closed the hatch and walked away, finished with the conversation.

Azula gritted her teeth as she glared at the hatch. Eventually she yelled out in anger before kicking the wall with her feet again. She glanced at the slop and grumbled in disgust. The warden was trying to humiliate her by making her eat like an animal. He wouldn't have that and refused to play his game. Instead she chose to wait until she was free to eat. _That warden will pay when I get out. Mark my words…_

* * *

Day 3

Like the day before she was left alone in her cell for hours. Also like the day before another tray of something some sick person called food was slid in. Again Azula refused to lower herself and eat it like an animal. Unlike yesterday she had to use the restroom.

She shuffled over to the disgusting toilet in the corner and managed to pull her pants down to use is. After some difficulty she was able to finish her business and felt like she needed a hot bath afterwards. This only added to the rage building inside her that she promised herself she would release upon the warden when she was free.

* * *

Day 5

The hatch at the top of the door slid open to reveal the warden's face. Azula seethed as she stared into his eyes furious about her living conditions. She would be angrier but her energy was low from her refusal to eat the slop they gave her. "News from my father?"

The warden stared in disgust as he stared at her. "Oh yes. The Fire Lord replied to our message yesterday. Wanted to give her a good night sleep before your punishment began."

"My punishment? What are you blabbering about you incompetent fool?" Azula asked incredulously.

A laugh escaped the warden's throat, finding her confusion amusing. "Yes, your punishment. He stated that you lied about the Avatar's death." To add emphasis he added air quotes as he continued, "You were captured by the Avatar."

Azula tried to interrupt, "I was captured you fool!"

Again the warden laughed at her defiance. "Whether or not you planned it from the start is irrelevant. What does matter is that you conspired with the Avatar. Unfortunately for you, your father's leniency is up. To teach you a lesson about loyalty, your father deemed that you will remain here until I see fit."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. _Father wouldn't just leave me here to rot._

The warden laughed harder as he saw the distress on her face. He expected her to react as such and found joy in seeing his prediction come true. "Don't look so distraught, prisoner. I'm sure after your father finishes conquering the rest of the Earth Kingdom he'll have time to deal with you. Until then you're mine."

Azula began kicking and screaming, no longer able to form a coherent sentence. Never had she felt so much rage in her life. Never had she been that blinded with rage. The warden shook his head in disappointment.

"For one as honorable as you, I would think that you would behave more nobly. Oh well, you'll learn soon enough. Guards…"

The door opened as a few guards squeezed into the room. They picked her up struggling to keep a hold of her as she squirmed in their arms. Marching down the hallway they dragged her as she kicked and screamed.

Eventually they reached a doorway and threw her into a large room. The warden stepped in with several more guards and shook his head at her.

"You can't act like that while you're an occupant of my prison."

"I'll kill you!" Azula screamed in fury.

The warden shook his head and began to chastise her. "Now, now. That's unbecoming of you prisoner. This is the where we bring in all new prisoners and get them acclimated for my prison." He turned his attention to the guards and continued. "Guards, you know what to do, and don't give her an inch to move. She's probably one of the most talented firebenders in the Fire Nation."

The guards nodded and surrounded Azula. They each grabbed a limb as another one took off her shackles. Another pressed his full weight on her back. She tried to struggle but couldn't with all the people keeping her restrained.

Slowly they undressed her as she struggled harder on the ground. Eventually the guards won the struggle and managed to strip her down. Once undressed, they used a few shackles that were chained to the ceiling and cuffed her again.

When Azula's arms were fully secure they let go only to see her try to rush towards the warden. She only made it less than a foot before she ran out of slack on the chains. Azula seethed and snarled at the warden.

"Calm yourself prisoner. No need to act unruly. We just need to make sure you aren't carrying anything that would contaminate the prison. Fleas and such."

She pulled at the chains even though she knew she couldn't break out of them as she rebutted, "You know I don't have fleas like a commoner!"

The warden shrugged at her comment. "Traitors could have anything. We can't be too sure." As he finished the other guards began to throw buckets of water at her to cleanse of her whatever filth they thought she was covered in.

All she could do was stand as they threw several more buckets of water at her. When she thought they were down they threw one more into her face before stepping over to her to and grabbing her arms. The guards unshackled her and put on the prisoner rags all the others wore. Then again they shackled her arms behind her back.

Azula glared at the warden as he bore a smug grin on his face. She exhausted all the hateful words she could and simply scowled at the man. Seeing that she had no more threats to throw at him he began to speak to her.

"Now that you're clean and dressed accordingly, I'm going to tell you how this place operates for the duration of your stay."

In a cold calculating tone she replied, "When I get out of here, you will be the first one I kill."

The warden scowled and then nodded to one of the guards. For a second the guard hesitated before accepting the order. He punched Azula in the gut, knocking the wind out of her.

As she gasped for air the warden continued. "That's the first thing. Do not make threats towards me, the guards or any of the prisoners. Second you will listen to any and all orders any guard give you. Third, this is my domain. You are a guest here and I am you warden. Any firebending and you go in the cooler."

Beginning to recover Azula spat out, "You'll pay for that."

Instantly one of the guards backhanded her in the face much to her surprise. This time she barked at the offending guard. "I'll have your head too."

That time the guard didn't hold back as he punched her squarely in her eye. Azula vison became fuzzy for a second as the impact of the punch actually dazed her.

The warden merely shook his head at her. "It's okay. You'll learn soon enough. Guards, take her to an isolation cell. Next time I won't be so lenient and you will go in the cooler." With that he walked away leaving her with the guards.

Wasting no time the guards dragged her down the hallway back to her cell they first held her in. Tossing her like a ragdoll they threw her head first. Yet again she landed face first on the ground causing a gash on her forehead.

Before Azula could threaten the guards again they slammed the door leaving her alone in the cell. Slowly she rolled over and sat up against the wall. Blood trailed down her face from the gash but she didn't pay it any attention.

 _How could father just leave me here? He didn't imprison Zuko, he just banished him. Then again I did conspire against him… That warden thinks he can break me, little does he know. I'll bide my time and once I'm out, he will die._

Then her thoughts took a turn. _I looked right in the Avatar's eyes as he left me here. He abandoned me too… Not that I'm that surprised. He'll get his though. As soon as father lets me out, I'm going to make the Avatar pay for leaving me. At least he didn't treat me like an actual prisoner when he captured me... Father has never been this upset with me. He won't keep me in here long… Will he?_


End file.
